220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician is disposing of several old magnetic hard drives that contain confidential client data. The company policy mandates that the data must be completely destroyed and the drives must be rendered unusable. Which method should the technician use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse logical data removal (format, delete) with physical data destruction, overlooking that degaussing is the only listed method that both destroys data and renders the drive unusable.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Degauss the drives.
Degaussing uses a strong magnetic field to randomize the magnetic domains on the platters, effectively erasing all data and often physically damaging the drive's controller electronics, rendering the drive unusable. This method satisfies the policy requirement for complete data destruction and drive disposal.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Quick format the drives.
Why it's wrong here
A quick format merely constructs a new file system structure, such as a master file table or FAT, while leaving the underlying data blocks untouched. Because the actual magnetic transitions representing files remain on the platters, a forensic analyst can easily carve out and reconstruct the original content using tools like Autopsy or FTK. This is why a quick format is never acceptable for sanitizing drives to meet a disposal policy.
- ✓
Degauss the drives.
Why this is correct
Degaussing exposes the drive to a powerful alternating magnetic field that randomizes the magnetic domains on the platters, effectively destroying all stored data and the drive's servo tracks in the process. This makes the drive inoperable as well as unrecoverable, even with specialized forensic equipment. It is the correct method for magnetic hard drives because it physically alters the media, meeting a strict secure-disposal policy that demands permanent destruction of data.
- ✗
Delete all files and empty the Recycle Bin.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting files and emptying the Recycle Bin removes only the directory pointers and file system entries, not the data itself. The files' contents remain as bit patterns in supposedly 'free' clusters until those clusters are overwritten by new writes, meaning a bootable forensic suite can still recover the material. This process provides virtually no security and fails to meet any credible data-destruction requirement.
- ✗
Run the chkdsk command.
Why it's wrong here
The chkdsk utility is designed to analyze the file system's integrity, locate bad sectors, and optionally repair logical or physical errors; it never purges user data. At best, it may remap bad sectors, but it leaves the contents of every accessible file intact. Running chkdsk has no sanitizing effect and is completely unsuitable as a data destruction method under a disposal policy.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.